This is an easy and appetizing vegetable tart, a recipe given to me by a friend, which I have adapted slightly. I use ready-made puff pastry, but if you want to spend the time making your own, I am sure it makes this dish even more tasty! You could use different toppings, e.g. tomato sauce instead of the tapenade, which would make it more like a pizza. This is delicious hot or cold, so if you make it for dinner one night, you could then save a couple of slices to have for lunch the next day, as I often do.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 packet vegan puff pastry (around 320g size)
• Selection of vegetables, e.g. aubergines, peppers, mushrooms, onions
• 1-2 tbsps olive oil for roasting
• Herbs, e.g. thyme, rosemary or oregano
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 small (100g)  jar olive tapenade (green or black olives work equally well)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pine nuts or grated vegan cheese
• Plant milk for glazing

Method

1.) Slice vegetables into chunks and roast in the oven with olive oil, herbs and lemon wedges, until soft (about 20 minutes).

2.) While vegetables are roasting, line baking sheet or flan case with baking parchment.

3.) Roll out pastry, and cut to fit tray or case. Pinch or flute the edges with a knife to decorate, if desired

4.) Spread pastry base with a thin layer of the olive tapenade.

5.) Arrange oven-roast vegetables on top of the pastry/tapenade and sprinkle with either pine nuts, or grated vegan cheese.

6.) Brush the pastry edge with soya or other plant milk, to glaze.

7.) Bake in oven at around 220 º C for around 20 minutes, until pastry is crisp and golden, and vegetables are soft.

8.) Serve with a green salad and crusty bread, or sautéed potatoes.

*Image courtesy Flickr Creative Commons.